03/03/2011, 5:45pm

Google and Microsoft team to sue patent troll

Google and Microsoft showed a rare instance of cooperation this week in a newly discovered lawsuit launched in an attempt to shut down patent troll GeoTag. The Delaware-based suit asks the court to invalidate GeoTag's lone patent, a 1996 claim to an "Internet organizer for...

02/15/2014, 12:41pm

Makes patent trolling a violation of Unlawful Trade Practices Act

The Senate in the State of Oregon passed a bill on February 14 that adds a ban on patent trolling in accordance to Oregon's Unlawful Trade Practices Act. Senate Bill 1540 had overwhelming support in the Senate, with a 30-0 with no abstaining votes. The bill will now be passed to the House Judiciary Committee...

02/27/2013, 4:28pm

New act proposes patent trolls pay legal costs if suit lost

The second bill intended to quash "patent trolls" has been introduced by the sponsors of the original failed bill. Representatives Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Peter DeFazio (D-OR) are sponsoring the SHIELD act of 2013, which intends to create a "loser pays" system where certain patent holders will be forced...

07/08/2015, 3:54pm

New trial to determine damages to patent troll set for September 14

A federal judge in the notoriously patent-friendly Eastern District of Texas has suspended a jury's award of half a billion dollars to a non-practicing patent entity (colloquially known as a patent troll) who sued Apple after reviewing his own instructions to the jury which may have created a "skewed...

08/30/2013, 10:57am

Ads aim to increase awareness of patent trolls

The Internet Association has joined forces with several trade groups to launch an ad campaign critical of patent trolls. The radio and print ads are running in 15 states, focusing on small businesses that are commonly targeted by patent-holding companies and non-practicing entities. "Tell Congress to...

09/28/2012, 9:30pm

Patent troll files in friendly Eastern Texas court

A Texas-based patent troll has sued Apple for patent infringement in the five-year-old Numbers spreadsheet software package originally in iWork. Notoriously patent-holder friendly US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division is the unsurprising venue for the suit. Data Engine Technologies,...

04/04/2015, 10:16am

Patent troll Smartflash facing invalidation of five patents at USPTO

Samsung, in challenging the validity of two patents, may help Apple skirt a $533 million patent verdict. The Korean manufacturer has petitioned, and convinced, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to re-evaluate a pair of patents owned by non-practicing entity Smartflash for uniqueness in order...

10/22/2014, 9:09pm

Company directly refers to plaintiff as 'patent troll,' calls for continued patent reform

Non-practicing entity GPNE, which had tried to sue Apple over alleged infringement of expired pager-related 3G wireless patents, has come away completely empty-handed after a jury exonerated Apple of all charges. The firm, which has attempted to sue or sued most other big-name tech firms over the same...

10/01/2014, 5:52pm

Non-practicing entity and patent holdings company WiLan has again lost to Apple in the second of three proceedings against the iPhone maker. The US District Court for Southern California granted Apple's motion for a summary judgement, following a finding that the two LTE patents the Canadian patent troll...

05/21/2014, 11:31pm

Move makes patent troll curbing measures unlikely for 2014

Comprehensive patent reform in the 2014 Senate is unlikely to happen. Citing the absence of "sufficient support behind any comprehensive deal," Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has torpedoed legislation fixing the US patent system. Leahy is concerned about the long-term scope of the deal, and potential problems...

12/09/2013, 7:59am

Threat of antitrust investigation by EC if Nokia overreaches with patents

Nokia has been warned by the European Commission (EC) to avoid becoming a "patent troll," once the company completes the sale of its Devices and Services arm to Microsoft. Joaquin Almunia, head of competition and vice president of the EC, reconfirmed the Commission's approval of the purchase, but advised...

03/19/2013, 11:40pm

Filing calls Ericsson a patent troll trying to extort licenses

In late 2012, Ericsson filed two complaints against Samsung, alleging patent violation by the Korean manufacturer. Late Monday afternoon, Samsung has responded to Ericsson's court filing with counterclaims of its own -- in addition to calling Ericsson a patent troll, Samsung is asserting eight patents...

09/16/2011, 4:45pm

Laws expected to mitigate patent trolling

After passing a Senate vote by a margin of 89-9, the America Invents Act has become law after receiving a signature from President Obama. The legislation is hailed as the first major reform of the patent system in decades, bringing a wide range of changes, including a first-to-file...

05/20/2011, 5:20pm

Patent holder suing over in-app purchase system

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has called on Apple to defend iOS developers against several "patent troll" lawsuits aimed at technology used for in-app purchases. The group accuses the patent holder, Lodsys, of threatening developers for using an in-app purchase system that...

12/08/2010, 7:35pm

Company dismisses "patent troll" label

Patent holder Intellectual Ventures has initiated lawsuits against a long list of tech companies that failed to establish licensing agreements. One of the suits targets security software makers Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro and Check Point. A second suit is aimed at memory manufacturers...

10/15/2010, 3:55pm

Webvention asking $80K for web patent license

A new company is sending out letters claiming that websites that use rollover images and pulldown menu are infringing on its licenses. What seems to be a patent troll, Webvention, is asking for a one-time license fee of $80,000 in what's billed as a temporary campaign, Ars...

02/25/2015, 7:34am

Apple has been handed a rare loss in a patent licensing trial. The Cupertino manufacturer has been ordered to pay patent aggregation company Smartflash, a non-practicing entity, $532.9 million for willful infringement of the company's patents in iTunes and in-app purchase processing. The trial was held...

02/06/2014, 10:57pm

Networking hardware manufacturer Cisco has struck a deal with non-practicing entity Innovatio IP Ventures to settle a suit and protect commercial and potentially home users of its hardware. Together with Netgear and Motorola, have agreed to pay IP Ventures 3.2 cents for 85 million pieces of network gear,...

11/09/2012, 9:15pm

Screen rotation patent at core of dispute brought by patent troll

US District Court Judge Sue Robinson in Delaware has refused Apple's bid to set aside a lawsuit over screen rotation, and 17 other patents held by "classic patent troll" MobileMedia Ideas. Judge Robinson declared that the question of whether iOS devices infringed on MobileMedia Ideas' patents was "suitable...

07/03/2014, 3:55pm

Attempt at reducing jury prejudice, confusion

Apple must avoid using terms like "patent troll," "privateer," or "bandit" in its defense against a patent lawsuit from GPNE Corp., according to a pre-trial ruling by US District Judge Lucy Koh. The company will also be blocked from using terms like "shakedown" or "playing the lawsuit lottery." Koh...

12/05/2013, 2:24pm

Bill aims to reduce frivolous litigation

The US House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan bill that aims to reduce negative impact from the practice derisively known as patent trolling. Passing by a wide margin of 323 to 89, Rep. Bob Goodlatte's (R-VA) Innovation Act (PDF) focuses on a range of litigation reforms to help protect businesses...

09/27/2013, 2:58pm

Commission seeks public comments

The US Federal Trade Commission has announced that it is opening an investigation into patent assertion entities (PAEs), commonly referred to using the derisive term "patent trolls." The commission cautions that its initial move is limited to information gathering, focusing on approximately 25 companies...

09/20/2011, 6:30pm

Unmeasured costs could be much higher

Three Boston University researchers have put a price tag on the cost of patent trolling in the US. The amount is a staggering $500 billion since 1990. In the past four years, the cost has averaged about $83 billion annually, amounting to more than 25 percent of US R&D spent...

09/08/2011, 8:20pm

Senate clears America Invents Act

The US Senate passed in an 89 to 9 vote a bill originally put through Congress that could theoretically curb patent troll lawsuits. It will let the USPTO get more control over its fees and reduce the instances of its budget being diverted somewhere else. The bi-partisan vote...

08/18/2011, 12:05pm

Mosaid tells shareholders to ignore Wi-LAN offer

An offer of $480 CAD million ($490 million) by patent troll Wi-LAN directly to the shareholders of Mosaid Technologies, a similar company, has been proposed on Wednesday. Mosaid asked its shareholders on Thursday to ignore the offer, however, according to a recent report. Mosaid...